


Promise & Deliver

by punk_rock_yuppie



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Unrequited love (kinda), implied jarchie, references to archie/grundy, trans Jughead, trans Veronica
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 07:43:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10157795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punk_rock_yuppie/pseuds/punk_rock_yuppie
Summary: Veronica and Jughead strike up an unlikely alliance.





	

**Author's Note:**

> my best friend taylor came up with the idea of veronica being a trans girl, and her and jughead starting to bond over both of them being trans. this is just a snippet of what that universe could look like. warnings for very vague mentions of dysphoria (so vague, really) and vague references to archie/grundy.
> 
> hope you enjoy!

“I get it, you know.”

Jughead looks up, startled to see none other than Veronica Lodge looming over him. She’s not threatening exactly, but something about all her dark lines and flawless appearance is intimidating. He swallows the bite of burger he’d started before she spoke, and out of reflexive politeness he gestures for her to take a seat.

She does, and Jughead regrets offering immediately.

“What?” He finally asks when her silence starts to unnerve him.

“I get it.” She says it again like it makes perfect sense.

“Get _what_?” He’s maybe a little sharp in his tone, but he’s so _tired_ of games. So tired of people speaking in riddles woven with bullshit and other nonsense. “I’m too not-into this conversation to decipher what you mean, so if you could be exceedingly blunt, that’d be _great_.”

Veronica sighs. “I get it, the whole trans thing.”

_That_ is the last thing Jughead ever expected to hear out of Veronica’s mouth. Not that she’s small-minded or conservative by any means; far from it, in fact, this is something Jughead has known since the day he met her. He’s never assumed she was an asshole, or _transphobic_ , or anything like that. He just also never expected… well, _this_.

“What?” He asks, more of a croak this time. He sets down what’s left of his burger. Panic starts to well up inside him like a wave readying itself to crash into the shore. He’s never actually come out to her—he hasn’t felt the need to tell anyone since he figured himself out back in middle school.

He doesn’t realize he’s shaking until Veronica’s hands settle over his. “Sh, shh, Jug, it’s okay.” She speaks quietly and soothingly. “I’m not—I’m not going to out you, okay?”

Jughead nods uneasily.

“Can I tell you something?” Her voice is still hushed, even though there’s no one in the surrounding booths to hear them anyway. Pop’s is dead-empty in the middle of the day, when other responsible kids are actually at school instead of ditching. Like the two of them.

“Sure,” Jughead agrees. He still feels sick to his stomach but the warmth of her hands on his is comforting, if confusing.

“I came out to my parents when I was ten.” She says it so simply, so easily, Jughead almost wonders if he’s misunderstanding. It must show on his face, because Veronica carries on speaking. “I’ve been on hormones for almost a year now.”

Jughead feels his mouth drop open in surprise, and Veronica just giggles in response. She shakes her head, fond—when did their friendship progress to being _fond_ , what the fuck—and pats his hands.

“I thought you might like to know…” She trails off with a shrug. “You know, if you ever want someone to talk to about it. I know,” she keeps going before Jughead can get a word in, “I know Archie _knows_. And I know he’s very understanding, but sometimes it’s not the same. At least, for me it’s not.”

Jughead finds himself nodding slowly. “It’s not the same. He gets it but he also doesn’t get it.”

“Exactly!” Veronica finally lets go of his hands only to steal a lukewarm fry off his plate. “Sometimes you just need someone who knows exactly what you’re going through.”

A beat of silence, filled only with racket from Pop’s kitchen, passes slowly.

“So this is you extending the olive branch?” Jughead asks slowly.

“Yes.” She steals another fry, going so far as to pull the plate so it rests centered in the table than more on Jughead’s side. “And it’s a little selfish, since I get something out of it—but it’s not supposed to be about just me.”

Jughead eats a couple fries idly as he processes her words.

“I’m serious, Jug, if you ever need to talk about it, or anything, I’m here for you, okay?”

It’s hard to get the words out, even though he means them more than he thought he ever would. Eventually, he gets his brain and mouth to work together. It comes out rushed and slurred, but the sentiment is clear. “I’m here for you too, yeah.”

Veronica grins. “Okay, enough of the heavy stuff. Now you have _got_ to tell me about your ridiculous crush on Archiekins.”

Jughead lights up with a blush and yanks his plate back. “No more fries for you,” he adds, petulant. “Only friends who let me live in denial get to share my fries.”

Veronica rolls her eyes. “I can’t let you do that. It’s pathetic.”

“I’m fine with pathetic.”

“Well I’m not.”

“ _Well_ ,” he mimics, “it’s not _your_ unrequited crush, is it?”

“You think it’s unrequited?”

Jughead shovels two handfuls of fries into his mouth, effectively clearing his plate, instead of replying.

“Forsythe Pendleton Jones the _third_ , do not tell me you seriously think Archie isn’t in love with you too.”

Despite feeling closer to full than not, he digs into the remaining half of his burger. It’s better than any reply he could come up with.

Veronica tsks. “That won’t do.” With that, she stands, her avant-garde cape fluttering with her movement. She flips her hair, overdramatic and cinematic. “Be seeing you, Juggie.”

She’s out the door before her words sink in, and by the time they do Jughead isn’t sure he can catch up with her. Doesn’t stop him from trying though. He shouts a quick “put it on my tab!” at Pop before taking off like a bat out of hell. He yanks the door to Pop’s open hard enough to spark an ache in his arm, and practically barrels straight into Veronica.

“Ha,” she taunts. “Knew you’d come.” She gestures for him to follow.

Jughead falls wearily in step with her. “Ronnie, seriously. It’s nothing. I don’t plan on ever—?”

“Hush.”

Jughead hushes.

“If you for one second believe that Archie doesn’t feel the same way about you, then you’re thicker than I thought.”

Jughead opens his mouth, only for Veronica to raise a single finger to silence him.

“Now, I can’t divulge specifics, because Betty promised not to tell anyone and I promised Betty that _I_ wouldn’t tell anyone. But!” She pokes him in the chest, like an accusation. “You need to get your shit together, Jones. If I have to suffer through you and Archie making goo-goo eyes any longer, I may very seriously hurt someone.”

Jughead doesn’t like the way her eyes fog over, how she hums under her breath, taps her chin in a way that screams trouble.

“Whatever you’re planning, please don’t.”

Veronica snaps out of it. “I make no promises.”

Jughead groans. “It’s not that easy. Look what happened when Betty told him how she felt.”

“One,” Veronica holds up a finger to accompany her words, “Archie was wrapped up in that mess with Grundy at the time. Circumstances have changed.” She holds up a second finger. “Two, Archie has never felt that way about Betty, bless her heart, which is not the case here.” Veronica tilts her head back and forth. “I don’t have any other points, but those two should be sufficient.”

Jughead glares.

“Don’t you trust me? Do you _really_ think I’d tell you to go for this if I wasn’t sure?”

“That is _exactly_ what happened with Betty.”

“I was younger then, I didn’t know the dynamics.”

Jughead groans and barely resists the urge to pull out his hair in frustration. “Please, Veronica, I’m begging you, let it go.”

Veronica sighs and stops walking; her heels clicking on the sidewalk seem to echo in the air.

Jughead stops too, his sneakers scuffing in contrast. “I just don’t want to screw things up, okay? Archie and I are just getting to a good spot.”

Veronica’s expression softens minutely. “I know, Jughead, but… Okay, well, look at Betty and Archie, they got over it.”

“I, ugh, it’s…” Jughead runs his hands through his hair and narrowly avoids knocking off his beanie. “It’s different.”

“Why, because you’re a guy?”

“Well—?”

“Because you’re trans?”

“No, Archie wouldn’t care about that—?”

“Then _why_ , pray tell, is it so different?”

“Because, I already _told_ him and he went and fucked his music teacher instead!”

The silence that ensues is deafening. Jughead’s mouth snaps shut so fast he bites the tip of his tongue, but swallows his wince. He turns, dead set on being _anywhere_ but here, but Veronica takes him by the elbow.

“Forget—!”

“No, I’m not forgetting this.” Veronica pulls until he’s facing her again. “You told him?”

Jughead nods reluctantly.

“Last summer?”

He looks up at the sky with a groan.

“And—okay, no, we need to talk about this. C’mon.” Her grip still tight on his elbow, she starts walking and drags Jughead along. “You are coming over to my place and we are talking about this, because holy _shit_ , Jug.”

Jughead doesn’t argue.

Maybe _she_ can figure out the puzzle that he’s deemed unsolvable. Maybe _she_ can figure out what the fuck Archie is thinking. He lets her take him by the arm and drag him along because he can’t deny the flicker of hope burning in his chest. The gently stoked flame that’s telling him maybe he’s not crazy, and that Archie _does_ like him back.

So Jughead doesn’t argue. Where there’s a Lodge, there’s a way, he figures.  


End file.
